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(No Model.)

J. P. GRUBER.

VENT OR VENT BUNG.

Patented Jan. 30, 1883.

INVENTOR: flat.

By his Jl ttorneys,

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WITNESSES:

. UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

JOHN P. GRUBER, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

.VENT OR VENT-BUNG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 271,236, dated January30, 1583.

Application filed October 26, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN P. GRUBER, a citizen of the United States,residing in Jersey City, Hudson county, New Jersey, have inventedcertain Improvements in Vents or Vent- Bungs, of which the following isa specifica' register or coincide with the passages 71. h in tion.

My inventioinrelates in part to an improved construction of a vent-bungfor beer kegs and barrels, and for other receptacles of gaseous liquids,and in part to the method of constructing the valve for the same.

In the drawings which serve to illustrate my invention, Figure 1 is aside view, and Fig. 2 a plan, of a vent-bung provided with myimprovements. These views show the bung as a whole. Fig. 3 is a verticalmid-section of the vent-bung. Fig. 4 is a plan of the plug, and

Fig. 5 is a plan of the under side of the body of the bung. These threeviews are drawn to a larger scale than Figs. 1 and 2. Figs. 6 and 7illustrate the construction of the valve, and will be referred tohereinafter. Fig. 8 is a modification of the plug, which will behereinafter described.

Let A represent the body of the bung, provided with an externalscrew-thread, a,whereby it is screwed into the keg, and a flange,b,provided with recesses c c to receive the wrench for screwing it in.This part A has a bore, (1, (see Figs. 3 and 5,) internallyscrew-threaded to receive the plug, and three bores or passages, e, e,and 6 for the passage of air. The passage 0 extends transversely throughthe hung from one recess cto the other. The passage 0 extendslongitudinally from passage 6 to thelower end ofthe bodyA. The passage 6extends from the bottom of the bore (1, hya bend, to the lower end ofthe body A.

B is the plug,which is provided with a bore or recess, f, to form with da valve-chamber, and a screw-threaded tubular projection, g, whichscrews into the bore cl in the body A. This plug is cylindrical, and hasa diameter about equal to that of the body, as shown.

It is provided with two air-passages, h and h, the former of whichextends from the bottom of the valve-chamber f, by a bend, to the upperface or end of the plug, and the latter of which extends through theplug longitudinally from bottom to top.

G is an annular washer or packing, of leather, rubber, or other suitablematerial, which is interposed between the upper end or face of the plugB and the lower face or end. of the body A when the two are screwedtogether. The passages c e in the body are made to the plug,respectively, when the parts are tightly screwed together, and holes arecutin the washer or packing C at the proper points to allow a freepassage for the air and gas.

D is the valve as a whole, which finds aseat on the end of theprojection g on plug B, and 1 is limited in its lift by the roof ofchamber d. When the two parts A and Bare screwed tightly together, withthe valve inclosed, as shown in Fig. 3, the bung is practically the sameas if made from one piece, and the valve is protected from injury, eventhough the bung receives the severest usage.

The operation is as follows: When the bung is screwed into the keg ofbeer or other gaseous liquid the gas from within rises through passages71/ and e and presses down on top of the valveD, thus holding it downupon its seat and effectually closing the valve-apertu re. When beer isdrawn at the faucet until the pressure inside becomes less than that ofthe air outside, then the air enters through passages e, e, and h. takesunder and lifts the valve from its seat. The air then flows into the kegthrough passages e and h until the equilib rium is established. Thus allescape of gas is prevented, while air is admitted as needed to enablethe beer to flow freely at the faucet.

I will now describe the peculiar construction of the valve D, referringespecially to Figs 6 and 7, the former of which shows the four pieces ofwhich the same is composed detached from each other, and the latter theconstruction of the triangular guide on the valve-stem.

a is the valve proper, which is made of vul canized rubber or othersuitable material], with a flat circular disk-like top, a conical base,and an axial perforation for the stem j.

The winged guide is is made by taking a thin metal tube (l in Fig. 7)and rolling, drawing, or swaging it in until it assumes the shape shownin the end view, Fig. 7. This guide is pressed onto the stem j (whichmay be of wire) with such force as to fixit firmly in place.

The valve i is then put onto the upper end of the stem, which projectsthrough it, and a circular metal or other disk, on, (shown in Fig. 6,)is then placed on the stem over the valve and fixed by riveting or othermeans. The valve thus formed is peculiarly durable, and will lastusually as long as the remaining parts. Should it become injured orleaky, it may be readily removed by taking out plug 13. It will be seenthat the disk-like top of the valve t rests on the end of the tubularpart 9 of the plug B, while the conical part below it depends into same.The guide It plays loosely in the bore f. The valve is thus constructedto lift freely,

yet to close surely and hermetically.

Fig. 8 illustrates a slight modification of the plug B, in which thepassage h is made to come out at the axis of the plug by bending it, asshown.

By extending the transverse passage 0 through the body A two inlets areprovided. Itone should become accidentally stopped, the other will admitair. Should the valve get stuck by reason of the mucilaginous propertiesof the beer or from other causes, or the passages become clogged, thevent may be readily cleaned by forcing a stream of water through it.

It will be seen that by my arrangement of the valve in the bung theweight of the valve tends to keep itnormally closed. This is veryimportant, as if it should get stuck it will stick closed and not open.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A valve for a vent-bung,comprising a valve proper, i, made of rubber or other similar material,a stem,j, a winged guide, It, made 'from a thin sheet-metal tube swagedor drawn into the form shown and secured to the stem, and 'a disk orwasher secured to the stem above the'valve i, all constructed andarranged substantially as set forth. I

2. A vent-bung comprising abody provided with an air-passage, e 6,leading from its outer .toits inner end, a chamber or bore, d, and anair-passage. e leading from said chamber to the inner end of the body, aplug arranged to scr'ewinto the inner end of the body, and provided witha passage, h, which connects the passage 0 a in the body with avalve-chamber, f, in the plug, and a passage, h, which forms acontinuation of the passage 6 in the body through the plug, and a valvearranged in the ehamberf, all substantially as set forth, theair-passages in the body and plug being arranged to coincide when theparts are screwed together, as shown.

3. The combination, to form a vent-bung, ot the body A, provided with arecessed flange, b, an external screw-thread, a a transverse passage, 0,a longitudinal passage, 6, an angular passage, 0 and aninternally-screwthreaded chamber or here, d, the plug B, provided withan externally-screw-threaded projection, g, a bore or chamber,f, andpassages h and h, the washer O, and the valve D, all constructedsubstantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JOHN P. GRUBER.

Witnesses:

HENRY Qomvn'r'r, ARTHUR O. FRASER.

